The three guys killed on our base, Drevnick, Wertish, and Wilcox were laid to rest recently.

Special recognition should go to our own Major Glen McElroy, Lieutenant Mark Martella, Chief Warrant Officer Dave Gool, and First Sergeant Jeff Huttle for aiding the dead and wounded. They ran in when others ran away and that's not an easy thing to do.

From the Pioneer Press in the Twin Cities:
By Saturday afternoon, the Associated Press said Iraqi police had arrested a member of an Iranian-backed militia suspected in the attack. The chief of the Basra provincial police said the militiaman confessed to the attack.

During a search of the house where the suspect and an aide were arrested, Iraqi officials said they seized four Iranian-made rockets and documents listing names of officials to be targeted.

U.S. military commanders believe some Shiite militias have received money and training from Iran, which denies the charge.
http://www.twincities.com/ci_12868600?nclick_check=1





Wertish : http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/127962/

Drevnick : http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1054153.shtml?cat=206

Wilcox : http://hometownsource.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10033&Itemid=1

Three guys were killed in an attack on our base. Some of our guys were able to lend a hand to some of the wounded. They deserve serious recognition for their bravery.

Rest in Peace Dan Drevnick, 22, Carlos Wilcox, 27, James Wertish, 20.

http://www.startribune.com/local/51049262.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DU2EkP7K_V_GD7EaPc:iLP8iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

These are the first casualties since the change in the SOFA (status of forces agreement) that went into effect this month. The Washington Post reports :

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/17/AR2009071703634_pf.html

"The strict application of the agreement coincides with what U.S. military officials in Washington say has been an escalation of attacks against their forces by Iranian-backed Shiite extremist groups, to which they have been unable to fully respond."

If you have the time, please read the above article. Our own commanders are now concerned that Iraqi edicts will now inhibit our ability to defend ourselves. I truly respect General Bolger for sticking up for his troops in Baghdad, and by extension, all of us.

The article goes on :
"After a brief lull, the attacks have continued this month, including a rocket strike on a U.S. base in Basra on Thursday night that killed three soldiers.

The acrimony that has marked the transition period has sowed resentment, according to several U.S. soldiers, who said the confidence expressed by Iraqi leaders does not match their competence.

"Our [Iraqi] partners burn our fuel, drive roads cleared by our Engineers, live in bases built with our money, operate vehicles fixed with our parts, eat food paid for by our contracts, watch our [surveillance] video feeds, serve citizens with our [funds], and benefit from our air cover," Bolger noted..."

(In the green shirts kneeling are Specialist Joe Habecker and Sergeant Bruce Kleckner, standing are Sergeant Tony Allsop, yours truly, and Specialist Brian Salisbury)

On June 30 American Forces officially pulled out of major cities in Iraq. This is really the first test to see if the last 6 years of fighting has made a lasting impact. The Iraqis report over 650,000 soldiers in their forces and most of us here believe they are going to need every one of them to pacify this country. While the insurgency has been weakened severely it is far from dead and attacks still occur albeit with less frequency.

During my last tour of Iraq I was a part of a military transition team (MTT) which operated in the restive city of Ramadi. The job of a MTT team is to live with, fight with, train, and advise the Iraqi military. Of course there were ebbs and flows in the training, but the Iraqis had a strong core of good officers and some enlisted to build on. The Iraqis have been fighting for a long time, and their soldiers are certainly tough, however the commitment of their leadership to this country will ultimately make the difference here.

The Iraqi government and military have been plagued by corruption and subversion. There have been several instances where al-Qaeda and other operatives have infiltrated the Iraqi Army in order to gain intelligence about our operations. Some of these instances have resulted in the death of American and Iraqi soldiers and has made some of our troops leery of dealing with certain elements of the Iraqi government. It's my belief that while these problems are real, the vast majority of the Iraqi Forces just want to do their job, earn a paycheck and go home to their families.

After all of the articles, essays, and books I've read about Iraq, I remain optimistic about the chances the Iraqis have to stabilize this country. During 2006-2007 the people in Iraq saw what al-Qaeda's vision for Iraq was all about. It was a bloody war in the streets to bring everyone under their thumb. While the people in Iraq are ready for us to let them stand on their own two feet, I think they generally understand that they have an opportunity. This is the first chance they've ever had to elect their leaders and to determine their own future. While the success of this entire war is still uncertain, I'd like to believe that the sacrifices made by so many of us will account for the betterment of the world.

Yesterday our company leadership threw us a barbecue for Independence Day. A band from division showed up to play rock, country, and pop hits ranging from "She Think's my Tractor's Sexy" by Kenny Chesney to "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner. It gave a festive atmosphere to a usually focused hangar. The work continued around those of us who took a break to remember Independence Day. SFC McCreary performed Grill Sergeant duties while Chief McGrath and I took on all comers at washers.

We invited a few Iraqis with to join us. Somehow I was tasked with explaining to the Iraqis that we were eating beef and not pork. It took some hilarious hand gestures and some barnyard noises, but we managed to get the point across and the guys got a good laugh at my attempt at communication. We also did the best we could to explain to them that this was a celebration of America's Independence and how Iraqis should feel the same way about their recent Sovereignty Day (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8125857.stm). Now that our forces have left the cities in accordance with the status of forces agreement, the Iraqis must truly sink or swim together.

I'm reminded of Benjamin Franklin's 18th century political cartoon which you can see to the right. Franklin was saying that the colonies must join together and survive or remain separated and fail. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Join,_or_Die) For the first time since this war began, it's now a totally Iraqi run operation. It's their time to "join or die". The Iraqi Army has had some recent successes in cities like Basrah. From the Times of London:

British forces stood aside during the “charge of the knights” in Basra when Iraqi forces swooped into Iraq’s second city, supposedly in our area of occupation. While our commander was off on a skiing holiday, government forces eventually beat the militias with American help.

Let's hope they can maintain that momentum.